Best Turtle Bunbury Histories Podcasts (2024)

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NEW Episode 7, Season 3, The Royal Canal 36:23

2d ago36:23

36:23

Started on the eve of the French Revolution, the Royal Canal is Ireland’s longest manmade waterway running for 145 km (90 miles) from Dublin to the River Shannon. Here Turtle tells the colourful story of its founders Long John Binns and William Cope, and looks at why it took almost 30 years to finish the project.…

1
NEW Episode 6, Season 3: 30 Year Anniversary of the Shannon-Erne Waterway/ 32:45

9d ago32:45

32:45

It is now 30 yrs since the completion of the Shannon-Erne waterway, linking the Shannon and Erne river systems. It was a pioneering project in many ways, not least as one of the first major collaborative efforts between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Turtle talks with renowned engineer Joe Gillespie, the main OPW representative on th…

1
NEW S3, Episode 5: Writers on the Erne 35:41

16d ago35:41

35:41

Irish language novelist and historian Séamas Mac Annaidh discusses his childhood on the island of Enniskillen, as well as the monks who compiled the Annals of Ulster on Belle Isle, the school where Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett studied, and a poem about American GIs playing baseball amid the ruins of Devinish Island.…

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NEW Episode 2, S3 Genesis 28:17

23d ago28:17

28:17

Featuring cameos by James Joyce’s canal-building forbear and Black Tom Wentworth, we learn how the desire to drain and improve Ireland’s boglands led the industrious Georgians to slowly (very slowly) construct some of the island’s earliest canals and waterways.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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NEW Episode 4, S3, The Grand Canal 30:28

23d ago30:28

30:28

Turtle charts the twists and turns of the long-running project to connect Dublin to the River Shannon.By Turtle Bunbury Histories Bunbury Histories

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NEW Episode 3, S3 THE 29th LOCK 33:42

28d ago33:42

33:42

Patsy Cummins is the third generation of her family to work on the Grand Canal. Having been keeper of the 29th lock near Tullamore, she talks of the friendships she made along the way and explains how a tragedy at Shannon Bridge brought her family east to Ballycowan.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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NEW: Episode 1, S3: Paddling the Waterways’ 39:04

2M ago39:04

39:04

Dive into this gorgeous interview with Gwen Wilkinson, who named her homemade boat ‘Minnot’ before setting out on her 400 km journey from the shores of Lough Erne to the tidal waters of the River Barrow in Ireland.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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Hidden Treasures of the Waterways 29:47

1y ago29:47

29:47

Turtle talks with marine archaeologist, Dr Connie Kelleher, about the exciting revelations of underwater archaeology on Irish waterways from Neolithic logboats to battle debris to the treasures of the modern age.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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Boating on the Barrow 25:09

1y ago25:09

25:09

Boating guru Cliff Reid of www.boatrips.ie discusses the glorious historical, geographical and natural elements of the River Barrow, the second-longest river in Ireland.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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The Maguires, Kings of Fermanagh 26:09

1y ago26:09

26:09

The Maguires, Kings of Fermanagh, were once among the most prominent dynasties in the north-west of Ireland. At their peak, their fleet of white sail boats gave them complete dominance of the waterways in and around Lough Erne, where they built the first castle at Enniskillen. This is the story of their rise and all.…

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The Voyage from St. James’s Gate 26:12

1y ago26:12

26:12

Turtle talks with historian, Cathy Scuffil about one of the most iconic aspects of the Canal Age – the sight of barges laden with Guinness barrels voyaging through the Irish countryside.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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The Normans 33:02

1y ago33:02

33:02

This episode tells the tale of the Anglo-Norman invasion through the men who built the castles of at Athlone, the Rinndown peninsula, and McDermott’s Castle on Lough Key, as well as along the Barrow, featuring a cast of warrior-bishops, Flemish wool traders and Knights Templar who dominated the waterways.…

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Turlough O’Connor, King of the Water 24:46

1y ago24:46

24:46

The extraordinary story of the O’Connor king who ruled Ireland for 35 years, during which time his extensive fleet took control of the Shannon and the Erne, built bridges and castles along the waters, and reshaped a large stretch of the Shannon region to build a new border against his enemies to the south and east.…

1
45 M 23:04

1y ago23:04

23:04

Susie Coote, owner of the 45M barge, tells the story of the boat that sank on Lough Derg in 1946 with the loss of 3 of their crew, and how it was raised in 1975 by the late Donnacha Kennedy and purchased by her late father David Coote.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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The Vikings 28:45

1y ago28:45

28:45

The golden age for Christianity in Ireland comes to an end as Vikings arrive on Irish shores and nudge their longships up the rivers to plunder the Irish interior. This episode charts the impact of the Vikings on the Shannon, the Erne, the Barrow and the Bann, with a focus on the warlord Turgesius, who ruled over Lough Ree, and the rise of High Kin…

1
A Sense of Place - Turtle Bunbury 15:02

1+ y ago15:02

15:02

Guinness’s DNA is deeply ingrained in the Liberties of Dublin, its origins rooted in a medieval church, a holy well and that famous gate, all dedicated to St James. Turtle takes us on a whirlwind trip from those medieval times through the evolution of the brewery to the present day.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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Liberties Belle – Liz Gillis and Cathy Scuffil 39:08

1+ y ago39:08

39:08

Two of Dublin’s finest historians discuss the importance of carthorses, canals and jostle stones to the Guinness brewery, as well as going to school with the “Guinness” girls and what it means to have the Storehouse in their neighbourhood.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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Rhythm of the Past - Mango 17:38

1+ y ago17:38

17:38

Mango has been hailed by Hot Press magazine as ‘one of Ireland’s most important hip-hop acts of the 21st century’. He talks about growing up as a ‘true blue’ Dub in the shadow of the brewery, where his great-grandfather worked as a cooper, as well as performing in the Storehouse for Other Voices and how his rapping technique was forged by the story…

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The Goodness of Guinness - Turtle Bunbury 19:31

1+ y ago19:31

19:31

Turtle looks at how Guinness has changed the Dublin skyline beyond the Storehouse through its work on housing, social housing, and green space. He homes in on the redbrick Iveagh Trust Buildings, the Bayno play centre, the Iveagh Baths and the evolution of St Stephen’s Green, St Patrick’s Park and the Iveagh Gardens.…

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A Family Legacy - Rory Guinness 31:24

1+ y ago31:24

31:24

The Iveagh Trust was founded in 1890. Rory Guinness, a member of the brewing dynasty, became its chairman in 2019. He tells the story of the 1 st Earl of Iveagh, the role of the Iveagh Hostel and about how the microbial activity of bacteria resulted in the Lister Medical Prize coming home to Dublin.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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A Sense of the Sea - Niall Sabongi 29:21

1+ y ago29:21

29:21

Niall is a chef, fishmonger, grocer and all-round champion of sustainable foods. He tells Turtle about the influence of his Egyptian restauranteur father, working with marine ecologists to discover the magic of seafood and shellfish, and why Guinness Extra Stout and oysters makes for such a classic pairing.…

1
A Sense of Flavour - Kate Curran 21:52

1+ y ago21:52

21:52

We meet the scientific, brewing guru whose role is to ensure that every pint of Guinness tastes as gorgeous as the next. Kate Curran talks of the science behind that matchless flavour, the specifics of barley and the creation of Guinness Zero, as well as what it’s like to be the fifth generation of her family to work at the brewery.…

1
A City within a City - Turtle Bunbury 22:27

1+ y ago22:27

22:27

Since the 1880s, over 26,000 men and women have been employed at the Guinness brewery. For many, it was a job ‘for life’, replete with healthcare, education and sporting benefits. Turtle talks of the Guinness doctor who revolutionised Ireland’s ambulance service, the Hollywood star who drove a forklift truck for Guinness, and why those doing “hot-w…

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Taster - Turtle Bunbury 4:59

1+ y ago4:59

4:59

Turtle Bunbury provides an overview of what listeners can expect from Season 1, and why he believes 1759 is a date that will still resonate in 9,000 years’ time.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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5. Colley of Corkagh 34:41

1+ y ago34:41

34:41

In this final episode, Turtle Bunbury looks at the Colley family who ran Corkagh from World War One to 1960, including their connections to the Titanic, Elizabeth Bowen, Ralph Fiennes and the Corkagh Dairy.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

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4. Finlay of Corkagh 32:51

1+ y ago32:51

32:51

In this episode, Turtle Bunbury talks about the Finlay family, who lived at Corkagh for two hundred years, tracing their origins back to Scotland where Macbeth and Mary, Queen of Scots both played a part ... the story takes in a Swedish iron tycoon, the 1798 Rebellion, a tragic World War One and Jonathan Swift's wish to have all bankers strung up.…

1
3. Gunpowder 30:17

1+ y ago30:17

30:17

In this episode, Turtle Bunbury homes in on the role played by the gunpowder mills at Corkagh in helping the British Empire secure global dominance in the 18th century, with a few very loud explosions along the way ...

1
2. The French Connection 21:43

1+ y ago21:43

21:43

In this episode, Turtle turns his focus on a specific group of French families who lived in and around Corkagh during the 18th and early 19th century - the families of Arabin, Chaigneau, Chenevix, Desbrisay and Des Grangues.By Turtle Bunbury Histories

1
1. Origins 16:37

1+ y ago16:37

16:37

In this opening episode, historian Turtle Bunbury talks about the origins of the landscape in and around present-day Corkagh Park and brings us through the high drama of the Viking, Norman, Tudor and Cromwellian era before we reach William of Orange's victory at the Boyne in 1690. The Corkagh History Podcast is brought to you by South Dublin County…

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8: The Grand Canal Interview 18:29

2+ y ago18:29

18:29

A potted history of the Grand Canal and the Barrow Navigation, as told by Alan Lindley, whose family have been on the locks at Rahan, County Offaly, since the canal was constructed in the 1790s.By 11 for 10

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7: The Shannon Interview 13:45

2+ y ago13:45

13:45

One of Ireland’s three lady lockkeepers discusses her unusual experiences on the Shannon, where she looks after the Albert Lock in County Roscommon, with some background on the area that she patrols and manages.By 11 for !0

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6: The Barrow Interview 21:15

2+ y ago21:15

21:15

The life of a lockkeeper on the Barrow Navigation as told by John O’Neill of Slyguff, County Carlow, who recalls the life of his late aunt Maggie Gorman, and how his father used to row across the river to work.By 11 for 10

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5: Spiritual Waters pt 2 21:43

2+ y ago21:43

21:43

Homing in on some of the 51 island monasteries on Ireland’s inland waterways, such as Lough Erne, Lough Key and Lough Ree, and telling the story of the hermits and anchorites who lived in such places.By 11 for 10

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4: Spiritual Waters pt 1 22:27

2+ y ago22:27

22:27

Tracking the early Christian settlement along the River Barrow, and the birth of the famous monastic schools along the Shannon and the Boyne at Clonmacnois, Clonfert and Clonard, as well as others on Lough Ree and Lough Derg.By 11 for 10

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3: Of Glaciers and Crannógs 21:38

2+ y ago21:38

21:38

A look at the geological origins of Ireland’s rivers and lakes, and the land through which the canals were cut, as well as the archaeological legacy of the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age periods which gave rise to burial tombs, log-boats and crannogs along such waterways as the Shannon, the Barrow and the Erne.…

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2: Goddesses of the Water 24:20

2+ y ago24:20

24:20

Nearly every Irish river and lough is named for a deity from the annals of Celtic mythology. Most are goddesses of the Tuatha de Danaan, while others involve the likes of Finn MacCool, the Fir Bolg and the Children of Lir. Turtle tracks the origin of each name and provides a colourful retelling of the associated legends.…

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1: The Flow of Time. 19:00

2+ y ago19:00

19:00

An overview of what the series is about, including an introduction to the various rivers, lakes, and waterways, including the conception of the canal network in Georgian Ireland.By 11 for !0

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